Taylor Phinney won the opening time trial at this year’s Giro d’Italia, one of three road cycling majors on the ProTour, then he wore the pink kit for two more days. He’s progressed so quickly in his new discipline that USA Cycling made him one of five members of its Olympic roster for this year’s London Games.

Daniele Badolato/Assoiated Press file photo

Taylor Phinney won the opening time trial at this year’s Giro d’Italia, one of three road cycling majors on the ProTour, then he wore the pink kit for two more days. He’s progressed so quickly in his new discipline that USA Cycling made him one of five members of its Olympic roster for this year’s London Games.

Taylor Phinney admittedly was heartbroken when the individual pursuit, his signature event on the track, was scrapped from the cycling program for the London Olympics.

Rather than rue the decision, though, Phinney turned his attention to his road career.

He won a national time trial championship in 2010, joined the powerhouse BMC Racing Team that carried Cadel Evans to the yellow jersey in the Tour de France last summer, then took the opening time trial at this year’s Giro d’Italia before hanging onto the pink jersey two more days.

Perhaps more than anything, it was that performance in Italy last month that wrapped up the 21-year-old Phinney’s spot in the Olympic time trial and road race. He was among 21 riders picked by USA Cycling on Friday for the team heading to the London Games next month.

The road, track and mountain biking teams are set, and Durangoan Todd Wells was one of two mountain bikers chosen to represent the United States – his third Olympic nomination. The remaining three riders on the 24-rider squad will be decided Saturday, when the BMX trials are held in Chula Vista, Calif.

“It’s been a stressful last couple of days for me,” Phinney told The Associated Press during a phone interview Friday. “I’m really honored and excited to have this opportunity.”

Levi Leipheimer, the defending time trial bronze medalist, and five-time Olympian George Hincapie were the most notable names missing. Their absence comes only days after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency filed new doping charges against their former teammate, Lance Armstrong.

It was unclear whether the charges factored into the decision to omit either rider. USA Cycling CEO Steve Johnson was not immediately available to comment.

Newly crowned road national champion Timmy Duggan, who like Phinney is from Boulder, promising youngster Tejay van Garderen and sprinter Tyler Farrar made the team, along with veteran rider Chris Horner.

Still, it was Phinney whose name immediately stood out among the selections.

The son of Olympic medalists Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter-Phinney, Taylor Phinney had emerged as one of the best individual pursuit riders in the world, and he would have been among the favorites in the event had the IOC not scrapped it when it overhauled the track cycling program.

Rather than switch his focus to another track event, Phinney moved exclusively to the road, where his performance last month in Italy showcased his immense potential.

“That definitely helped my chances for getting on the road squad, getting the full Grand Tour under my belt and that amount of racing in my legs,” he said. “As for the time trial, I just had to make my case with the selectors.”

Phinney’s case may have been helped by the fact that he won’t be riding the Tour de France, which concludes less than a week before the opening ceremonies in London.

“I have the whole month of July to really hone in on my position and what I need to do to be up there with the best and hopefully medal,” Phinney said.

Kristin Armstrong will be trying to defend the time trial gold medal she won in Beijing after coming back from a brief retirement and the birth of her son, Lucas.

She has dominated just about every time trial that she has entered this year, but her spot on the team was thrown into question when she broke her collarbone during a crash May 24. Armstrong showed up a day later to cheer her teammates at the race in Idaho, along with sending a message.

“I did want to show USA Cycling; I wanted to show my competitors, and if the selection committee was watching, I wanted to show them,” Armstrong said. “It might take me out for a few days, but it’s not going to keep me down.”

Amber Neben will join Armstrong in contesting the time trial and road race, and Shelley Olds and Evelyn Stevens also will take part in the road race.

Sarah Hammer, Dotsie Bausch, Jennie Reed and Lauren Tamayo make up the women’s pursuit team, with Hammer also competing in the omnium.

Hammer, like Phinney, is a former individual pursuit world champion who switched to the multidiscipline omnium when her signature event was eliminated from the program.

Bobby Lea will ride the men’s omnium and Jimmy Watkins the men’s sprint.

Wells and Samuel Schultz will compete in men’s mountain biking over a course in Hadleigh Park, east of London. Georgia Gould qualified for the women’s team by ranking in the top 10 in the World Cup standings and will be joined by Lea Davison in the competition.

David Herman and Arielle Martin already have qualified for the BMX team by virtue of their No. 1 positions in USA Cycling’s power rankings. One men’s spot will be awarded to the winner of Saturday’s trials, and the final men’s and women’s spots will be discretionary nominations.

“We have a strong team going to London with a solid combination of experience, leadership and young talented athletes who are all capable of standout performances,” USA Cycling Vice President Jim Miller said in a statement. “Each member of the team is deserving; we’re proud to welcome them as a part of Team USA and look forward to a promising Olympic Games.”

Associated Press writer John Miller and The Durango Herald contributed to this report.

Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk walk off the 17th tee during the third round of the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament Saturday, June 16, 2012, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk walk off the 17th tee during the third round of the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament Saturday, June 16, 2012, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Graeme McDowell, of Northern Ireland, hits out of a bunker on the eighth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament Saturday, June 16, 2012, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Graeme McDowell, of Northern Ireland, hits out of a bunker on the eighth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament Saturday, June 16, 2012, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Road favorites withdraw from Olympic consideration

Four top U.S. cyclists – all former teammates of Lance Armstrong – removed their names from consideration for spots on the Olympic team.Levi Leipheimer, George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriskie asked that they be taken out of the running for places on the road cycling team for next month’s London Games.USA Cycling announced its five-man team Friday. The national governing body released a statement Saturday in which it identified the four riders but refused to speculate on the reasons for their requests. The governing body said it issued its statement because of numerous requests for comment.All four riders spent time on the U.S. Postal team with Armstrong. The seven-time Tour de France champion is facing fresh allegations of doping by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.